cdm sample constitutions

8/6/2019 CDM Sample Constitutions

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CDM Chapter Resources

Sample chapter constitutions:1. UMass Amherst- p. 2-102. Boston College- p. 11-133. Clark University- p. 14-204. Tufts University- p. 21-25


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1.University of Massachusetts- Amherst CollegeDemocrats:

Constitution of the

University Democrats

at theUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst

Adopted: September 23, 1984


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P reamble

In order to promote a better America, with equality, opportunity, and freedom within a just and strong society, we dedicate ourselves to organizing the participation of Democratic college students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In thismission, we call for participation of University of Massachusetts Amherst students,regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, physical handicap,socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation.

Understanding the importance of participation in the Democratic Party to thepreservation of our values and principles, we, Democratic college students, do herebyassociate ourselves and adopt this Constitution as the University of Massachusetts at

Amherst College Democrats.

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall officially be the University Democrats, informallyknown as the UMass Democrats or the UDems.

Article II: P urpose

The UDems pledge to support the philosophy and candidates of the Democratic Party.Furthermore, the UDems declare their intention to support all efforts to increase theparticipation of college students in Democratic affairs. To these ends, the UDems shall

educate and train its members so that they may be better able to:1. Educate students about the philosophy of the Democratic Party;2. Assist in the election of local, state, and national Democratic candidates;3. Affect political change on the local, state, and national level.

Article III: Membership

A. Members : Membership in the UMass Democrats shall be open to any collegestudent currently enrolled in the University of Massachusetts Amherst or another member of the Five College Consortium who wishes to be known as a UMass Democratand who has the best interests of the UMass Democrats and the Democratic Party atheart, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, physical handicap,socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation.


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B. Members in good standing : Members in good standing shall be defined as anymember, as defined in Article 3, Section A, who has paid their yearly dues; such anamount as determined by the Executive Board.

Article IV: The Executive Board

A. Composition: The Executive Board shall be composed of the President, VicePresident, Treasurer, Director of Communications, Director of Programs, MembershipCoordinator, Campaigns Coordinator, and a Secretary. All positions will be electedonce yearly at the General Elections. Vacant positions will be filled by presidentialappointments and approved by a simple majority of the remaining Executive Board.

B . Meetings: The Executive Board shall meet regularly when school is in session.Meetings shall be opened to all interested members. The President, with the consent of

50% plus one members of the Executive Board, can close a meeting based on thedelicacy of the issues that will be discussed.

C . Campaign Subgroups : A group of UMass Democrats may form a temporarycampaign subgroup for the purpose of supporting a particular Democratic Candidate,with the approval of a 1/2 vote of the Executive Board. The group shall select its ownleader, provided that he or she is a member of the UMass Democrats in good standing.The group may request to become a UMass Democrats subgroup as early as itchooses, however the group will cease to exist, and lose all associated privileges, oneweek following the final election day of its candidate. The UMass Democrats Executive

Board may dissolve any subgroup by a 3/4 vote if it deems it to be acting in wayscontrary to the interest of the UMass Democrats as a whole.

Article V: Organization Authority

1. Substantive Authority a. Definition: Substantive authority shall be defined as, but not limited to, adoptingpolicy statements and platforms, endorsing candidates in local, state, and nationalelections, and endorsing local or statewide referenda.

b. Candidate Endorsements: The UMass Democrats shall endorse candidates by avote of 2/3 of the membership. In races where the UMass Democrats do not endorse acandidate, the organization shall facilitate the dissemination of information for allDemocratic candidates in that race.


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c. Substantive P olicy Statements: Policy statements shall be initiated by a simplemajority of the Executive Board. Such statements must then be ratified by a 2/3majority of the Executive Board at the earliest possible time.

Article VI: Duties of the Executive Board P ositions

A. All Executive Board members must maintain active involvement in all of the UMassDemocrats activities and endeavors. Failure to maintain active involvement allows for the possibility of removal.

B. Duties of the P resident : The President shall:a. Be the Chief Executive Officer of the UMass Democrats;b. Define the agenda of the UMass Democrats during his or her tenure;c. Act as the official representative of the UMass Democrats to other groups and the

media;d. Carry out the mandates, policies, and directives of the Executive Board;e. Fill vacant seats in the Executive Board with appointees, after approval of a simplemajority of remaining Executive Board members;f. Appoint, after approval of 2/3 of the Executive Board, ad hoc committees andchairpersons of such committees; andg. Preside over all meetings of the UMass Democrats

C. Duties of the Vice P resident : The Vice President shalla. Assist the President in the performance of his or her duties; including brainstorming

ideas and evaluating the progress of the Executive Board and organization as a whole;b. Maintain regular and frequent contact with other RSOs and the other four of theFive Colleges;c. Keep both the Executive Board and general membership of the UDems updatedand aware of events and important information as to what is going on within the FiveColleges, Five College area, and other RSOs;d. Initiate opportunity to network and cosponsor events with the other members of theFive College Consortium and UMass RSOs;e. Take on projects of his or her choosing; andf. Perform such duties as the President may assign.

D. Duties of the Treasurer : The Treasurer shalla. Coordinate with the Director of Programs to create fundraising activities andprepare all grant applications;b. Manage the bank account, the receipts, and paperwork in case of an audit, and thedues-paying membership and t-shirt sales;


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c. Coordinate an annual effort to solicit alumni donations; andd. Perform such duties as the President may assign, as well as such duties that arecustomarily performed by a treasurer.

E. Duties of the Director of Communications: The Director of Communicationsshalla. Be responsible for updating the groups official Facebook page, Twitter account,website, and other forms of new media that may arise;b. Publicize meetings and events sponsored and cosponsored by the UDems;c. Write press releases; andd. Perform such duties as the President may assign.

F. Duties of the Director of P rograms: The Director of Programs shalla. Work to plan events, both political and social for the UMass Democrats;

b. Provide at least one prominent speaker a semester;c. Arrange for member training;d. Be responsible for calculating event and trip logistics; ande. Perform such duties as the President may assign.

G. Duties of the Membership Coordinator : The Membership Coordinator shalla. Coordinate all recruitment drives and other efforts to attract new members;b. Coordinate all tabling efforts;c. Arrange for member benefits and other means of retaining members. Thisincludes, but is not limited to, food, t-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, internship

opportunities, etc.;d. Maintain a database of all current members, alumni, and recruits; ande. Perform such duties as the President may assign.

H. Duties of the Campaigns Coordinator : The Campaigns Coordinator shalla. Connect students with candidates and campaigns;b. Maintain a file of Democratic contacts from every level;c. Coordinate phonebanks, canvasses, campaign invasions, and other forms of campaign work; andd. Perform such duties as the President may assign.

I. Duties of the Secretary: The Secretary shalla. Be responsible for completing and submitting after review by the Executive Board,all paperwork on behalf of the UMass Democrats.b. Complete and update database entry;c. Assist with logistics;


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a. No longer being a member in good standingb. Failure to fulfill the duties of the officec. Poor attendance

B. P rocess for removal : To begin the process for removal, another member of theExecutive Board must charge the officer with the reasons for his or her removal publiclyat a meeting of the Executive Board. The officer in question must be offered anopportunity to defend himself at that meeting. If the officer in question is not present atthat meeting, he will be offered the opportunity at the next meeting of the ExecutiveBoard. If he does not attend this meeting, he forfeits the opportunity to defend himself.

After a period of no more than two weeks from when the charges were originally bought,the issue shall be put to a vote. 3/4 of the Executive Board must vote for removal for anofficer to be removed.

Article IX: Vacancies

A. A vacancy shall be declared when a member of the Executive Board dies, resigns,or is removed from office.

B. The President must announce the vacancy to the general membership. He or shemust appoint a replacement within two weeks of the announcement. The appointeemust then be approved by a simple majority of the remaining Executive Board.

C. If the vacancy occurs in the President position, the Vice President shall assume the

Presidency and shall appoint a new Vice President following the above procedures.

Article X: Amendments

A. P rocedure : The Constitution can be amended by a 3/4 majority vote of theExecutive Board or with 2/3 approval by the active membership.


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Amendments

1. First Amendment: Terms of Executive Board Members a . Elected Members - Newly elected members of the Executive Board shall begin

their terms twenty-four (24) days following their elections. Their terms expirewhen their successors assume their offices.

b . Appointed Members: Members appointed to the Executive Board assume their office as soon as their appointment is approved by the sitting members of theExecutive Board. They retain their office only until the winners of the annualelection begin their terms.


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2 . College Democrats of Boston College:

I. Name, Purpose, and Affiliation

A. Name. The name of this organization shall be the College Democrats of Boston College,herein referred to as CDBC.

B. Purpose. CDBC will work to advance the policies and ideals of the Democratic Party at BCand in the larger community.

C. CDBC shall be a chartered member of both the College Democrats of Massachusetts andthe College Democrats of America. CDBC also retains the right to affiliate itself with suchgroups that advance the goals of the Democratic Party.

II. Membership

A. Membership of CDBC shall be open to all undergraduate students at Boston College.Membership shall not rely on gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation,socioeconomic status, veteran status, or handicap.

B. Voting rights shall be permitted to any member of CDBC who has actively participated inthe club. An active member is one who has attended at least two-thirds of general meetingsand at least one event sponsored by CDBC. Final determination of voting status is at thediscretion of the club President.

III. Executive Board

I. Authority. The Executive Board of CDBC shall have general authority and responsibility forthe affairs of CDBC.

A. Elected Members. Elected members of the executive board shall be elected yearly at ageneral meeting taking place in April, the exact date shall be determined by the servingexecutive board. The terms of each elected officer shall begin immediately. The electedExecutive Board will be comprised of the President, Vice-President, Finance Director, andCommunications Director.

B. Appointed Members. No more than one month into the beginning of the academic year,

the President shall nominate and the Executive shall approve by a two-third majority peopleto fill appointed positions. The appointed Executive Board shall consist of the PoliticalDirector and the Programs Director.

C. Dismissal. Cause for dismissal shall be a failure to carry out assigned duties or on othergrounds as deemed appropriate by a majority of the Executive Board. Charges must bebrought during Executive Board meetings and the accused must be given the chance todefend himself or herself. After each side has made its case, the Executive Board mayremove the officer by a two-thirds vote and the position shall be decalred vacant.


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D. Vacancies. A vacancy shall be declared when an officer resigns or is removed from his orher position. An officer must resign for a semester in which he or she studies abroad. If thevacancy is for any position but that of President, the President shall nominate a successor tobe approved by a majority vote of the Executive Board. In the case that the position of President is vacant, the Vice-President shall become President and then shall begin thevacancy process.

IV. Duties of the Executive BoardA. The President shall:

2. Be the Chief Executive Officer of CDBC.3. Set out the agenda of CDBC during his or her tenure.4. Carry out all mandates of the Executive Board.5. Nominate people for appointed offices or vacancies.6. Be the official liaison to CDM and CDA.

B. The Vice-President shall:

2 . Assist the President in his or her duties.3 . Be the primary coordinator of the First-Year ProgressiveXChange (PXC).4 . Be responsible for keeping detailed membership records.

C. The Finance Director shall:

y W ork with the outgoing Finance Director and other Executive Board members towrite a budget for SOFC approval.

y Prepare and submit all financial forms to the Student Programs Office (SPO).y K eep close track of all monies being spent by CDBC.

D. The Communications Director shall:

y Continuously update Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts.y W rite and send out a weekly update to all listserv members.y Draft all CDBC press releases.y Design and produce advertising media including but not limited to posters, fliers, and

video.

E. The Political Director shall:

y Be the contact person for all campaigns interested in coordinating speaking time atBC or recruiting students.

y Organize campaign days for approved campaigns (to be approved by a majority voteof the e-board)y Be the official liaison between CDBC and all on-campus organizationsy Shall bring to light and research issues that CDBC should address

F. The Programs Director shall:

y Organize CDBC events in conjunction with the rest of the e-boardy Be responsible for the planning of the Father Drinan Award Presentation


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V. Meetings

A. Meetings will be held at the discretion of the executive board.

B. Executive board meetings and/or conference calls and/or chain emails must take place atleast once a week.

VI. Elections

A. The outgoing President shall be the chair of the election procedures, unless he or she isrunning for re-election. In that case the election procedures will be chaired by the next mostsenior member of the executive board who is not running for a position.

B. Running for Office. Members of CDBC must be informed of the elections at least oneweek in advance. All parties interested in running for an elected position must let the chairof the election procedures know their intent to run two days before the election to beincluded on the paper ballot. Parties may run from the floor by nomination from a votingmember of CDBC.

D. Voting Rights. Voting rights shall be permitted to any member of CDBC who has activelyparticipated in the club. An active member is one who has attended at least two-thirds of general meetings and at least one event sponsored by CDBC. Final determination of votingstatus is at the discretion of the club President.

E. Election Procedure. All those running have the opportunity to give a two minute speechand respond to at least three questions. Further questions may be allowed at the discretionof the chair. Paper ballots with previously declared candidates shall be given to all voters,anyone that wishes to run from the the floor must be written in by each voter. Each votershall receive five minutes to vote and then the ballots will be collected by the chair of theelection procedures who will then count the votes. The chair shall only vote in the case of a

tie and the club shall be notified of the election results immediately.

VII. Amending the Constitution

A. Amendments to the Constitution may be made at any CDBC general meeting and shall benoted by the Vice-President. Voting on amendments shall occur during elections procedureand will be passed with 2/3 of the voting members. Any changes made to the originalconstitution or bylaws must be approved by SPO before being considered active.

VIII. Club Advisor

A. The role of club advisor shall be determined at the discretion of the executive board on a

year to year basis.

IX. Ratification

A. This constitution will go into effect immediately after a vote at elections for the 2011-2012 school year.

3 . Clark University College Democrats :


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Democrats of Clark UniversityCharter for Recognition

March 15, 2011

Mission Statement: The Democrats of Clark aims to,

establish a forum for the communication of democratic moral, ethical, and political values. Since our inception in 2001, our role has been to stimulate political awareness and promote egalitarianism andsocial justice using the venue of the political arena. The Democrats of Clark University organization isopen to all Clark University students regardless of political affiliation or ideological orientation.

The current executive board and their contact information are as follows:

President Ellie ZuckermanVice-President Sharon BortTreasurer Ethan CohenCommunications Director Matt FurmanIssues Director- Lucas EarlPolitical Director Megan WilliamsMembership DirectorCampus Events Coordinator Julia Richardson

Assistant Communications Director Advisor

Current appointed positions and their contact information are as follows:None

Article I: The Democrats of Clark UniversityThe name of this organization shall be The Democrats of Clark University,

henceforth referred to as DCU.

Article II: MembershipBylaw 101: Equal Opportunity

Each qualified individual regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation,religion, national origin, age as defined by law, disability, or veteran status, shall haveequal opportunity to participate as a member of DCU. As enacted by the ClarkUniversity Student Council in Bylaw 101 of the Constitution which states:

Sec. 1: Student Council advocates the Universitys policy of equal opportunity,which states:


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It is the policy of Clark University that each individual regardless of race, color, sex,sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age as defined by law, disability, or veteran status, shall have equal opportunity in education, employment, or services of Clark University.

Sec. 2: Student Councils interactions with the undergraduate student body shall exhibit

the spirit of the Universitys Equal Opportunity Policy.Bylaw 102: SAF Funding Requirements

As enacted by the Clark University Student Council in Bylaw 124 of theConstitution that DCU will:

Sec. 1a: Be open to membership to all members of the Clark UndergraduateStudent Body regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin,sexual orientation, or handicap.

Sec. 1b: Be continuously available for additional membership, activities, andparticipation by all members of the Clark Undergraduate Community.

Sec. 1c: Have an Executive Board.Sec. 2a: Open and widely publicize all organizational meetings and events, and

activities that the organizations hold, sponsor, or co-sponsor.Sec. 2b: Allow events and activities held, sponsored, or co-sponsored to be open

for the participation of all members of the Clark UndergraduateStudent Body regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, sexualorientation, or handicap.

Sec. 3a: Submit one (1) copy of its charter, if changed to the Judiciary Committeeof the Student Council for approval by that committee.

Sec. 3b: Submit one (1) copy of all executive board changes, as necessary, with

updated contact information to the Judiciary Committee of theStudent Council.Sec. 3c: Keep on file for their reference, and the reference of their members, a

copy of their charter.Sec. 4: Notify the Student Council Secretary in writing at least one week in

advance of any organizational elections for the purpose of openly and widelypublicizing the said elections.

Sec. 5: Have an advisor, said advisor can not be an undergraduate student.(effective spring 2005)

Sec. 6: Failure to comply with any portion of this bylaw will be cause for DCUto be considered ineligible for SAF funding.

Bylaw 103: Membership PrerequisitesSec. 1: All members of DCU must be full-time students in good academic and

social standing and who have paid their Student Activities fee in full.

Bylaw 104: General Members


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Sec. 1: General or active membership of DCU is defined as all those studentswho have met the above prerequisites and who have attended two consecutive DCUmeetings per semester, as noted by the Communications Director.

Bylaw 105: Voting MembersSec. 1: A voting member is defined as anyone who has met the prerequisites of

general membership and who has met the requirements for general membership.

Article III: Organization and Responsibility of OfficersBylaw 201: President

Sec 1. The President shall have the sole executive authority in the organization.Sec 2. The responsibilities of the President are to:

Sec 2a. Chair all DCU meetingsSec 2b. Supervise other officers in meeting their organizational responsibilitiesSec 2c. Serve as official spokesperson for the organization both on and off campus.

Sec 2d. Administer elections to the executive board (if President runs for an electedposition, he/she cannot administer elections)Sec 2e. Formulate weekly emailSec 2f. Approve and oversee all events which DCU sponsors or co-sponsors

Bylaw 202: Vice PresidentSec 1. The responsibilities of the Vice-President shall be as follows:

Sec 1a. Chair meetings in the absence of the presidentSec 1b. Administer elections in the absence of the president, or in the case that thePresident is running for an elected position.Sec 1c. To coordinate with other organizations about co-sponsorship of relevant

events.Sec 1d. Advise and oversee all chair positions/committeesSec 1e. To serve as the official DCU liaison/contact person with the club Advisor. He/

she shall maintain periodic communication with the Advisor by giving update about the clubsactivities and seek help for program/event planning.

Sec 1f. Assist the president in any other ways necessary

Bylaw 203: Treasurer Sec 1. The responsibilities of the Treasurer shall be:

Sec 1a. Keep a private record of all accounts, transactions, and expendituresSec 1b. Maintain CUSC/LINK accountSec 1c. Have signing rights on our budgetSec 1d. Attend all required Student Council budget meetings

Bylaw 204: Communications Director Sec 1. The responsibilities of the Communications Director shall be:

Sec 1a. To publicize all DCU events. This includes, but is not limited to the following:Posting/Creating Flyers, Advertising on the events calendar, posting on the DCU websiteand Chalking sidewalks and the garage.


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Sec 1b. Recruiting new members through advertisements.Sec 1c. Take minutes and attendance at all general meetings.Sec 1d. Act as DCUs resident historian (take photos at events, etc)Sec 1e. Help formulate weekly email with PresidentSec 1f. Record all accounts, transactions and expenditures if Treasurer is absent

Bylaw 205: Issues Director Sec 1. The responsibilities of the Issues Director shall be:

Sec 1a. To come up with issues pertinent to Clark students on the local, state, national,and international level.Sec 1b. To lead informal discussions, known as Issues Nights, were these topics arediscussed and to present an informed opinion on them.Sec 1c. To work in conjunction with the DCU Communications Director/ AssistantCommunications Director to publicize all Issues Nights to both DCU members and therest of the Clark community.Sec 1d. To lead any other forums or discussions outside of general and E-board

meetings that DCU holds.

Bylaw 206: Political Director Sec 1. The responsibilities of the Political Director shall be:

Sec 1a. Manage and organize all of DCUs involvement in campaigns (i.e. CanvassingExcursions, Standouts, etc.) at the federal, state and local levels, and open contact withall campaigns throughout the election cycle.Sec 1b. Contact candidates and campaigns to inquire about them speaking to DCUand/or any opportunities they may have for volunteers and interns.Sec 1c. Provide the membership with informed analysis and opinion with ongoingelections and campaigns.

Sec 1d. Write thank you notes to those who come and speak or aid DCU in anyway.Sec. 1e. Work with organizations and causes to develop advocacy initiatives and DCUprograms for activism and issue-based campaigns.

Bylaw 207: Membership Director Sec 1. The positions of membership director shall be held by a first-year student.Sec 2. The responsibilities of the Membership Director shall be:

Sec 2a. To ensure membership retentionSec 2b. To recruit new membersSec 2c. To serve as go-between for general members to address any thoughts, ideas, or

concerns to the E-board.Sec 2d. Create and Organize Membership Retention Program activities, outings,

events, etc. with the specific objective of creating club cohesion and maintaining membership toprevent a decrease in the DCUs membership over the course of the school year.

Sec 2e. Assist President with ice-breaker activities and other related programs/activities.

Bylaw 208: Campus Events Coordinator Sec 1. The responsibilities of the Campus Events Coordinator shall be:


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Sec 1a. To contact other campus clubs and organizations for co-sponsorship andadvertising DCU events.

Sec 1b. To serve as a contact and spokesperson to other Clark student clubs andorganizations.

Sec 1c. Assist President and Vice-President in event planning.

Bylaw 209: Assistant Communications Director Sec 1. The responsibilities of the Assistant Communications Director shall be:

Sec 1a. To assist the Communications Director in any ways he/she sees fit.Sec 1b. To record and email minutes of E-board meetings.Sec 1c. To perform any and all duties of the Communications Director when he/she is

absent.Sec 1d. To compose blog-posts for DCUs website at a minimum of once a month.

Bylaw 210: Additional Officer ResponsibilitiesSec 1. Must attend all E-board meetings (unless credible excuse is given)Sec 2. Must attend all General Board Meetings (unless credible excuse is given)Sec 3. Must attend all DCU Events, unless excused in advance.Sec 4. Assist the president in any other ways necessary.

Article IV: MeetingsBylaw 301: Quorum

Sec 1. Quorum for all DCU meetings shall be recognized as not less than 60 percent of themembers in attendance. 6 person minimum.

Bylaw 302: Frequency of MeetingsSec 1. Meetings of the General Body of the Democrats of Clark University shall be held no less

than two (2) times per month, for every full month, which Clark University is in session.Sec 2. Meetings shall be called by the President. The executive board should be notified inadvance of the date and time. Members shall be notified via emails sent by the CommunicationsDirector.Sec 3. Executive board meetings shall be held no less that once per full month, which ClarkUniversity is in session. Meetings shall be called by the President.

Article V: ElectionsBylaw 401: Elections

Sec 1. Any person wishing to serve on the E-board must first be elected to that position.Sec 2. A member must first be nominated either by themselves or by another member.Sec 3. Another member must then second the nomination.Sec 4. The nominee must then accept the nomination.Sec 5. The President shall administer elections.Sec 6. A person winning elections shall be one who has obtained a plurality of votes in a given

election.Sec 7. Elections will be held during the meeting before finals week in the spring semester.Sec 8. Anyone who qualifies for membership is entitled to one (1) vote and must be present atthe election meeting.


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Sec 9. Sufficient notice must be given to members about any upcoming elections.

Bylaw 402: Special ElectionsSec 1. The President upon the following conditions shall call special elections:

Sec 1a. Executive board member has resigned or impeached.

Sec 2. Sufficient notice of the special election will be given to DCUs membership.

Bylaw 403: Candidacy

Sec 1. Candidates who are studying away or abroad may not hold a position on the E-board.Sec 2. Candidates who are studying away or abroad in the spring may declare their candidacyfor the following year by contacting the President, but are ineligible to vote if they are notphysically present for the election.Sec 3. Only members are entitled to stand for election to any position on the executive board.Sec 4. No person previously removed from office may hold a position on the E-board.

Article VI: Impeachment P roceduresBylaw 501: Removal

Sec 1. Any member may make a motion to impeach a member. It must then be seconded byanother member. If a motion is made and seconded, any further impeachment proceedings shallbe held off until the next general meeting.Sec 2. If the impeached member is not present at the meeting, then it is the duty of thePresident or the next highest officer to inform them.Sec 3. At the next general meeting, both sides shall be allowed to present their case. Onlymembers who have attended at least two prior meetings shall be allowed to speak and/or vote onimpeachment.

Sec 4. Removal from office and/or membership can only occur based on a two-thirds vote of themembers present.Sec 4. Causes for the removal of an executive board member may include (but need not belimited to) absence from three or more executive board or general meetings and/or generalmisconduct.

Article VII: Charter Bylaw 601: Charter Approval

Sec 1. The official Charter shall be submitted to the CUSC by DCU President.Sec 2. The Charter must be approved by the membership and the Executive Board.

Bylaw 602: Amendments Sec 1. Amendments to this Charter shall be submitted by any DCU member.Sec 2. Amendments to the Charter must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the membership present.

Article VIII: CommitteesBylaw 701: Approval

Sec 1. Special committees shall be formed by the President and approved by the ExecutiveBoard.


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Sec 2. Chairs of committees shall be appointed by the President and confirmed by the ExecutiveBoard.

Bylaw 702: Committee StructureSec 1. Each committee shall be represented by one Chairperson, appointed by the PresidentSec 2. The Chairpersons shall report all progress to the E-board & must attend at least one E-board meeting a month.Sec 3. No formal action may be taken without E-board approvalSec 4. Chairpersons must regularly attend General Board Meetings unless a plausible excuse

is given.

Article IX: Other Bylaw 801: Club Expenditures

Sec 1. All club expenditures anticipated to be over $500 shall be decided by a majority vote of theExecutive Board.

Sec 2. Any request for co-sponsorship from another Clark club or organization must be approvedby the Executive Board.

Bylaw 802: EventsSec 1. DCU has hosted numerous events including, but not limited to, Issues Nights, Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request drives, Election Night Watch Party, canvassing, the

InauguralBall, political panels, and several community service events.Sec 2. Continuation of these events are optional but encouraged.Sec 3. Successful events shall be added to the roster in section 1 for archiving purposes.

Article X: Student Council Judiciary Committee Clause

Bylaw 901: Judicial ApprovalSec. 1: The Clark University Undergraduate Student Council Judiciary Committee must approveany changes or amendments to this charter.

Article XI: Charter AmendmentsBylaw 1001: Campaign Endorsements

Sec. 1: DCU shall not officially endorse any candidate for office until after thePrimary unless they are the only Democrat running.

4 . Tufts University College Democrats:

Last Updated 2003

Name: The official name of this organization shall be Tufts Democrats.


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Purpose: The purpose of this organization is to be the voice of the Democratic Party at Tufts University,to educate the community on relevant political and social issues, to provide a forum for the discussion of issues of concern, and to encourage and support the election of Democratic candidates to political office.

Description: Tufts Democrats shall consist of general members, executive officers, and an executive board.

General Members:

A) Description: General members are Tufts students who have participated in at least two TuftsDemocrats general meetings and/or activities in the previous twelve months.

B) Purpose: General members are to participate in general meetings and are to plan, organize, run, andattend activities concerning Tufts Democrats.

General Meetings: The general members shall meet at an announced location at least once a month duringthe academic year.

A) Description: All members should attend general meetings. The President shall preside over the generalmeetings and s/he shall determine the specific agenda of the meetings with the advise of the executive board.

B) Purpose:1) To vote for executive officers by simple majority vote.2) To have the executive officers report to the general members.3) To bring up and implement new activities for Tufts Democrats.4) To voice the concerns and opinions of the general members.5) To allow social time for general discussion of activities which may or may not directly affect TuftsDemocrats.

Executive Officers: The executive officers shall include a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretaryand Communications Director. All executive officers must also be general members of Tufts Democrats.

Elections: The executive officers shall be elected for a one year term by a simple majority of the members present at the general meeting scheduled for the month of April.

Election Procedures:1) The current President shall preside over the election of new executive officers.2) The election procedure shall be as follows:

A) The current President shall announce the election. The President shall then announce which positionsare open and shall give a description of each office open for election.


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B) The general members shall have the chance to nominate candidates for President first.

C) Once all nominations are accepted, each candidate shall be allotted two and a half minutes to speak.

D) Once all candidates have spoken, all general members will be able to vote via secret ballot for theorganizations new President.

E) The top vote-getter shall be declared President. In the case of a tie, a run-off election shall take place.

F) The new President shall take his/her office after the general meeting adjourns.

G) The same procedure shall take place for the election of the Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, andCommunications Director in that order.

H) Candidates who lose one election may run for another office.

I) In the case of the resignation of the President, the Vice President shall replace the resigning Presidentfor the remainder of his/her term and a new Vice President shall be elected. In the case of the resignationof the other executive officers, the President shall call for a special election.

J) Any member who is nominated for the positions of President or Treasurer may not be elected unlesss/he is able to serve in that position during the entire term of office proscribed by this Constitution.

Transition:1) The terms of the newly elected executive officers shall begin at the adjournment of the general meetingat which they are elected.2) When new executive officers are elected, it shall be the duty of the incumbent Treasurer to present allTreasury documents to the newly elected Treasurer. The incumbent Secretary shall present all other documents pertaining to Tufts Democrats to the newly elected Secretary.

Descriptions of Executive Officers:

A) President:1) Shall preside over all general meetings and board meetings.2) Shall preside over the election of new officers.3) Shall choose chairs of new committees for specific activities with the advise of the other executiveofficers.4) Shall stay in contact with other student organizations on the Tufts campus and shall be informed aboutthe activities which these organizations are planning.5) Shall attend all conventions concerning Tufts Democrats.6) Shall, when present, be the sole person responsible to call for a vote.

B) Vice President:1) Shall be present at all board meetings and general meetings.2) Shall preside over board meetings and general meetings when the President is absent.3) Shall report to the President and to the general members when asked by the President.4) Shall invite speakers to address the Tufts campus.5) Shall stay in touch with local, state, and national party officials.


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6) Shall keep in frequent contact with other college Democrat organizations.7) Shall attend all conventions concerning Tufts Democrats.

C) Treasurer:1) Shall be the sole person in Tufts Democrats to be responsible for and to keep track of all financialconcerns.2) Shall be present at all board meetings and general meetings.3) Shall report to the President and the general members when asked by the President.4) Shall represent Tufts Democrats in all financial matters and meetings.

D) Secretary:1) Shall record the minutes and attendance of all general meetings and board meetings.2) Shall communicate with the general members on a regular basis via e-mail or via a publishednewsletter.3) Shall attend all board meetings and general meetings.4) Shall report to the President and the general members when asked by the President.5) Shall collect and file all advertisements, letters, articles, and posters concerning Tufts Democrats.

E) Communications Director:1) Shall see that Tufts Democrats has a voice in the campus media by assigning regular Viewpoints andnecessary letters to the editor.2) Shall encourage, support, and oversee members who do write letters, articles, etc. as representatives of Tufts Democrats.3) Shall attend all board meetings and general meetings.4) Shall report to the President and to the general members when asked by the President.5) Shall oversee the design, construction, and maintenance of the Tufts Democrats web page.

F) The executive officers, with the approval of a majority of the general members, may create temporary,ad-hoc executive officer _positions if they determine that the workload of the executive board is too great.Election to these positions will follow the same election procedures described above. These executive

officer positions will expire at the end of the academic year.

Executive Board:

Description: The executive board shall include all executive officers and chairs of committees currently inoperation.

Purpose: The purpose of the executive board is to plan the specific activities brought up at the generalmeetings.

Procedures:1) The President will call an executive board meeting when necessary.

2) The President shall preside over executive board meetings.


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3) All executive officers shall attend the executive board meetings. If an executive officer has twounexcused absences, the President may call for the officers dismissal and will announce the date of aspecial election to fill the vacant position.4) The executive board shall plan the specifics of the activities suggested at the general meetings.5) The President, with the advise of the executive officers, shall choose a general member who is not anexecutive officer to chair a committee in charge of planning a specific activity.6) The chairs of such committees shall also attend executive board meetings.7) All executive board members present shall contribute equally to the planning of activities.8) The chosen chair of a committee shall be the sole person in charge of the committees activity. It is thechairs responsibility to implement all of the plans for the activity which have been formulated by theexecutive board.9) The chair retains his/her status until the activity s/he is working on is completed.10) Once an activity is finished, the chair loses his/her status as an executive board member. S/he may not participate in future executive board meetings until s/he becomes the chair of another committee.11) If the general membership of Tufts Democrats falls below twelve general members and/or if nogeneral member wants to chair a committee, executive officers may chair activity committees.

Committees:Definition: A committee will be formed to organize all activities endorsed by Tufts Democrats. Eachcommittee shall be appointed___ a chair by the President. All members of Tufts Democrats may serveon a committee.

Purpose: It is the job of the committee to implement, execute, and run the activity for which it has beencreated.

Procedures:1) The chosen chair shall report the committees progress at every board meeting and every generalmeeting while that committee is in existence.2) The chair will organize the committee and will accept volunteers for the committee at the generalmeeting.

3) The chair will run the committee and will make sure that its agenda is carried out.4) The chair may assign committee members tasks in order to ensure that the committees commitmentsare met.5) Once the executive board either discontinues the activity (by majority vote or the committees task issuccessfully completed, the committee shall be disbanded.

Tufts Democrats By-Laws


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In order for Tufts Democrats to receive legitimacy and respect from the Tufts Community, theorganization hereby has a set of by-laws to which all members must adhere or they will be reprimanded by the organization.

1) All members, when representing Tufts Democrats, shall adhere to the rules and regulations imposed onthis organization by the T.C.U. Senate.

2) Voting Procedures:A) On issues of conflict among the executive board, the committees, or the general membership, thereshall be a vote to democratically decide the solution.B) A vote can be called by the President, the presiding officer, or by petition by one third of the generalmembers present.C) Only the President or the presiding officer may conduct the vote.D) The President or the presiding officer shall announce the issue on which the members will vote.E) The President or the presiding officer shall allow and/or cease debate on the issue at his/her discretion.F) The issue shall be decided by a simple majority vote. It is up to the President or presiding officer todecide whether or not the vote shall be conducted by secret ballot.G) Only the President or the presiding officer may call for a revote.H) In the case of a tie, the President or the presiding officer shall cast the tie-breaking vote.I) This voting procedure may not be compromised or abridged.

3) Impeachment:A) An executive board member may be dismissed from the board if s/he has been found guilty of violating the Tufts Democrats constitution or by-laws.B) Only executive officers may bring up impeachment proceedings at general meetings.C) A two thirds vote by secret ballot of the executive board is necessary to consider removing anexecutive board member and another two-thirds vote by secret ballot of the executive board is necessaryto remove the board member.

4) During general meetings and executive board meetings, members of the organization shall treat other

members with the respect that they deserve.

5) Tufts Democrats shall not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, gender, creed, sexual preference, or social status.

6) This constitution shall be approved by a simple majority vote of the executive board and a majorityvote of the general members present. If it becomes necessary to amend the constitution, the amendmentsmust first be considered by a two-thirds vote of the executive board. The amendments must then beapproved by a two-thirds vote of the executive board and a two-thirds vote of the general members present. The amendment must then be approved by the TCU Judiciary committee. Once this constitutionis ratified, it shall be the sole constitution of the Tufts Democrats.

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